An in-depth exclusive interview with co-writers/co-directors CHRIS CULLARI and JENNIFER RAITE discussing bringing the brilliant “mind f**k” of the psychological thriller THE AVIARY to life.
It’s difficult to write a good screenplay. It’s difficult to direct a film. And it’s difficult to produce a film when you are the main juggler keeping all of the balls in the air. It’s even more difficult when you are wearing all of those hats and have to satisfy the creativity of the idea, the execution of the vision, and meet the financial responsibilities to marry creativity with execution in order to achieve the complete vision of the project. As the writers, directors, and producers of THE AVIARY, Chris and Jennifer have accomplished just that, delivering a psychological potboiler that is riveting – and yes, a mindf**k.
SYNOPSIS: “The twisted journey of two women’s desperate flee to escape the clutches of Skylight, an insidious cult. Lured in by the promise of “freedom” in the isolated desert campus called “The Aviary”, Jillian and Blair join forces to escape in hopes of real freedom. Consumed by fear and paranoia, they can’t shake the feeling that they are being followed by the cult’s leader, Seth, a man as seductive as he is controlling. The more distance the pair gains from the cult, the more Seth holds control of their minds. With supplies dwindling and their senses failing, Jillian and Blair are faced with a horrifying question: how do you run from an enemy who lives inside your head?”
Written and directed by CHRIS CULLARI and JENNIFER RAITE, THE AVIARY stars Malin Ackerman, Lorenza Izzo, Chris Messina, and Sandrine Holt.
A compact production with minimal cast and location all showcased to their best advantage, Chris and Jennifer honed in on the introspective nature of psychological terror and the sometimes outward manifestations; it also allowed them to give us a peek into the mind control of a cult or a cultish individual. But at its heart, THE AVIARY is a brilliant mindfuck. It is riveting; a taut edge-of-your-seat thriller that has you spellbound, positing questions and theories in your own mind – Are Jillian and Blair going insane? Is what we are seeing only happening in their minds or shared consciousness? Or are they fleeing to freedom? As we are treated to flashbacks, one must wonder if we are seeing nightmares or actual memories. Chris and Jennifer keep us on tenterhooks up until the final frame and even then some may still wonder, “is it live or is it Memorex”.
Standout in the thematic construct of THE AVIARY is how mentally unsettling it is, giving rise to a subtext akin to today’s world with social media and influencers, and the way people gravitate towards them in almost cultish fashion, dependent on those influencers for their own existence. And not only that, but we are continually asking the question of ourselves, “what is freedom?”. For much of the film we hear Jillian urging Blair ever onward, “Come on, come on, we’re going to be free. You want to be free, don’t you? Let’s go. Let’s go.” As we see their journey unfold, one can’t help but wonder what is freedom as so much of that idea of freedom is individualized in one’s own mind and one’s own perception.
Building on the film’s themes are the visuals. Finding a perfect location that provided a diversity of desert enabled Chris and Jennifer to metaphorically give those feelings of desperation, isolation, aloneness, and feeling trapped a visual connective tissue, all of which were brought to life by cinematographer Elie Smolkin.
Speaking at length with CHRIS CULLARI and JENNIFER RAITE, we dove into the story and its origin, the filmmaking approach to bringing THE AVIARY to life, designing the visual tonal bandwidth and visual grammar with cinematographer Elie Smolkin, working with editor David Bilow and the challenge of finding pacing and the emotional beats, casting and performance (Chris Messina is chillingly seductive), their own learning curve in making this first feature narrative, and more.
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 04/26/2022
